Guest Panel
OVERVIEW
Guest Panel is a scenic exercise that has the instructor interview a group that is matching each other. Often used as the final scenic exercise for corporate workshops or classes of first time improvisers, Guest Panel is a good exercise when focusing on:
Agility
Teamwork
Listening
Confidence
Sharing focus
REQUIREMENTS
Number of Participants:
Minimum: 4 participants / Maximum: 8
Time Required:
Minimum: 15 minutes / Maximum: 30 minutes
Materials Needed:
One chair for every student.
EXERCISE INSTRUCTIONS
Start by picking a group to participate. If you are working with a group of twelve or less you can try having everyone run the exercise together, though ideally the exercise works better with groups of eigt or less. For larger classes you can break them into groups of eight or less and run the exercise up to three times without it feeling overly repetitive.
Tell participants to arrange their chairs in a straight line facing you. Encourage them to sit as close to each other as they feel comfortable doing, as I believe proximity helps reinforce the idea that the participants share a similar worldview.
If this is a larger in-person class with mutiple groups running the exercise, consider the stage picture their positioning will create not just for you but for the remainder of students watching. Often, by placing the chairs at a sharp angle you can create a dynamic stage picture enjoyable for all.
Ask participants to match each other 100% as you interview them. Matching is when an improviser duplicates another player's defining characteristics within a scene. If matching, players should exhibit the same beliefs, history, idiosyncracies, emotional reactions, physical mannerisms and all other attributes.
It is a difficult concept for beginning improvisers, so it isn't bad to reinforce the expectation. Many players will understand intuitively that by disagreeing at key moments they can get a quick laugh. But such decisions undercut the power of a matching scene, often depriving the scene of its full potential and letting the air out of the balloon.
If one player says they believe the Earth is flat, then all the players matching them all should agree. It would be techinichally wrong if one participant believed the Earth is flat while anothe believed it to be a turtle. Instead they should agree and add to the narrative.
They might say somrthing like, "Yes we all think the Earth is flat, but the space of the Solar System is curved which makes Earth look round from above." Something like that.
Explain that it won't be clear who is interviewing them and why at the top of the scene, but that they will help establish this with the instructor in the first minute or so.
Instruct the players to listen carefully to their scene partners contributions. When they hear something distinct or memorable to them, they should try to say something in support of that element when they have a chance; to put their finger prints on it and to further heighten the idea.
Suggest to players that it migt help if they nod along with what their teammates are saying or make light vocal noises of support. Just because they aren't speaking and taking on the focus of the scene doesn't mean they sould stop empatically agreeing with eac other.
This exercise often results in a Straight Man / Crazy Man or Unusual Point Of View / Voice Of Reason dynamic being established between the players on the panel and the Instructor interviewing them. In this dynamic it is likely that the instructor will disagree with the players in the scene or even directly contradict them, saying things like, "No" or, "That's impossible!".
Tell the players that this is a secret message, that when you tell them know it means they have found something funny and that they should lean into it and commit to it even harder.
INSTRUCTOR DISCUSSION POINTS / LEARNING TAKEAWAYS
AGILITY
If you have already played One Word Story in your workshop you can compare it to Guest Panel when addressing Agility. The participants may get excited in this exercise when they feel they know the path the narrative is taking or should take. While this is exciting and powerful, it can also make it more difficult to drop their perception of "the-right-way-for-things-to-progress" when asjustment is in order.
But working collaboratively demands prioritizing the group's will over the individuals. The challenge is therefore to quickly adjust to new and surprising directions the scene may take without holding on to where you thought iit was going. Both surprisingly funny scenes and effective solutions can be created when working this way.
Relate this dynamic to being surprised at work. How easy or hard is it to quickly cange directions when a startegy, procedure or role changes? Is there value in pining for a different path than the one you are on?
TEAM BUILDING
By saying yes to ideas, regardless of how unusual or surprising, participants can build surprisingly funny and unique scenes. Be sure to underline for participants the power of saying yes to each other's ideas and contributions.
When teammates know that their ideas/contributions are welcome and will be supported they become more confident and contribute more frequently. If you treat their ideas like the work of a geniue it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. People will feel a responsibility to share all of their ideas and to take risks when they know their teammates are counting on them.
The opposite is also true. People will stop contributing if they believe their ideas will be undercut or ignored.
LISTENING
Note the players ability to successfully match each other in this scene in order to work on listening skills. Since matching includes not just hearing and reflecting ideas, but also mirroring attitudes, emotions, physical movements and the timbre of someone's voice Guest Panel allows you to effectively work on listening for non verbal communication and empathetic listening.